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Installation of turbines and foundations is a crucial part of the value chain. Because there is significant risk and uncertainty, it is important that utilities and project owners know what to look for when choosing an installation partner. The right contractor is the key to meeting project goals and delivering on time and on budget.

We’re living in an increasingly competitive world and, as a leading maritime nation that wants to stay up with the play, Denmark needs to review one particular aspect of its regulatory framework: seafarer taxation. While more conventional vessels are covered by favourable taxation rules, it’s becoming more and more important for this to be extended to specialised vessels operating in offshore industries.

The current CFD auctions apply to projects that start in 2020 and run to 2023. That’s the first major change I’d like to point to – that we are now tendering for projects up to 5 years ahead of the day installation actually begins – instead of the two years or so that was typical back in, say, 2013 or 2014.

Recently, we’ve seen quite a bit of discussion around the proposed Dogger Bank development – a man-made island to be constructed on the enormous shoal about 100 kms from the northeastern coast of England. There’s plenty of wind out there – and it’s relatively shallow. So locating a connecting base for electricity (up to 30 GW of it generated from offshore wind) to be shared among countries facing the North Sea is certainly an interesting idea.

It’s commonly said that the only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys. So it may seem completely backwards to have a room of fully grown offshore wind people playing with tiny LEGO block models to help coordinate the installation of some of the biggest ‘toys’ in the world: offshore wind turbines.

Everyone likes to win. This year, it wasn’t quite our turn, although we did come a close second to the winners of Renewable UK’s Health & Safety Award 2017, the British energy company SSE, which is headquartered in Scotland.

Earlier this year, nine North Sea region countries signed an agreement aimed at building a more sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply through a much more ambitious level of cooperation.

UK wind energy interests are strongly focused on securing local participation in the huge wave of offshore wind developments going on in and around the region. A2SEA’s focus, as ever, is on identifying shipyards and other suppliers that can provide the right levels of capabilities and safety – at the right time, the right price and in the right quality.

As demands on offshore wind installation processes increase, crane technology is being pushed to its limits. Not only do offshore cranes need to lift heavier and larger wind turbine components, but they also need to operate in more gruelling weather conditions.